Betting the Jockey Club Gold Cup on a Budget

Constitution, above winning the Donn Handicap in February, has a chance to strike at a nice price in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Saturday at Belmont Park. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
Established in 1919 and known initially as the Jockey Club Stakes, the Jockey Club Gold Cup is a $1-million race for horses 3 years old and older and run at the classic 1 ¼-mile distance on the dirt.
The Jockey Club Gold Cup is the biggest race of Belmont Park’s fall meet and is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Series qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will be held this year at Keeneland Race Course on Oct. 31.
Fun facts about the Jockey Club Gold Cup

The great Kelso won this race a record five times, from 1960-1964.
Man o’ War, under strong restraint, won by 15 lengths over Damask, the only horse willing to run against him to ensure the race wasn’t a walkover.
From 1921-1975 the race was contested at 2 miles.
In the 1978 Gold Cup, 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew was defeated by a nose by Exceller. In the same edition of the race, 1978 Triple Crown Winner Affirmed finished fifth.

The Jockey Club Gold Cup is the 10th race on Saturday’s card with a 5:28 p.m. ET estimated post time. If you can’t be there in person, be sure to catch the race on NBC, with live coverage starting at 5 p.m. ET.
SUPER SATURDAY STARS AT BELMONT

Typically, East Coast-based 3-year-olds who run well on the Triple Crown trail compete in this race and take on older horses for the first time, but there aren’t any 3-year-olds entered for this year’s edition. Trainers Jimmy Jerkens and Todd Pletcher each have a pair of contenders in the six-horse field.
Let’s take a quick look each contender:
#1 Wicked Strong: Coming into this race off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes is Centennial Farms’ Wicked Strong. They’ve donated 1 percent of his winnings to the One Fund, which supports victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Jockey Joel Rosario gets the mount once again.
#2 Coach Inge: Coming off a second-place finish to Liam’s Map in the Woodward, Coach Inge gets jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. back.
#3 Constitution: He is coming into this race off of a fifth-place, turf prep after leading the way for most of the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap. He’s the most lightly raced horse in the field and gets regular rider Javier Castellano back for the mount. He needed his last race and is a bit of a wild card. Perhaps he’s the value here as he has potential to improve and move forward. If he can get the uncontested lead with little pressure up front, he might be hard to run down. Additionally, trainer Todd Pletcher and Castellano have a 35-percent winning percentage when they team up at Belmont – not shabby!
#4 Effinex: He comes into this race off a fourth-place finish in the Woodward under regular jockey Junior Alvarado. He’s one of two horses with a win at the distance and is the only one with two.
#5 Looks to Spare: The race’s longshot Looks to Spare is the only horse that hasn’t raced at Belmont before, and he will be making his first start for new trainer Gregory DiPrima. Jockey Deshawn Parker will be may be making his first Belmont start of the year, but he’s no stranger to winning. Parker was North America’s leading rider by wins in 2010 and 2011 and is the all-time leading rider by wins at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort in West Virginia.
#6 Tonalist: Back in search of a repeat victory after winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup against older horses last year, 2014 Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist is the 6-to-5 morning-line favorite. Coming off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes to Honor Code and Liam’s Map, Tonalist is the logical horse, but he will be the heavy favorite and of little betting value. With the highest lifetime earnings of the field and six of his 13 lifetime starts at Belmont — he’s got four wins and two seconds under his belt at Belmont – he’s definitely a horse for the course. Tonalist also owns a first, a second and a third-place finish in four races at this 1 ¼-mile distance.
Vick’s picks: #3 Constitution, #6 Tonalist and #1 Wicked Strong
Strategy A
$20 to win: #3 Constitution
Strategy B
$10 exacta box: #3 Constitution, #6 Tonalist
Strategy C
$10 trifecta: #3 Constitution with #6 Tonalist with #1 Wicked Strong AND
$10 trifecta: #6 Tonalist with 3 Constitution with #1 Wicked Strong 
$1-million Jockey Club Gold Cup StakesSaturday, Belmont Park, Race 10, 5:28 p.m. ET1 ¼ miles, dirt, 3-year-olds

PP

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Owners

Odds

1

Wicked Strong

Joel Rosario

Jimmy Jerkens

Centennial Farms

6-1

2

Coach Inge

Irad Ortiz Jr.

Todd Pletcher

Repole Stable

5-1

3

Constitution

Javier Castellano

Todd Pletcher

WinStar Farm and Twin Creeks Racing Stables

3-1

4

Effinex

Junior Alvarado

Jimmy Jerkens

Tri-Bone Stables

6-1

5

Looks to Spare

Deshawn Parker

Gregory DiPrima

O'zbekiston Racing

30-1

6

Tonalist

John Velazquez

Christophe Clement

Robert S. Evans

6-5